Cheesy Italian Meatloaf Recipe {a family favorite!}

This Cheesy Italian Meatloaf Recipe is my family’s FAVORITE dinner recipe! Passed down from my Italian grandma, it really is the BEST meatloaf ever, and it is incredibly easy to make. So much cheesy goodness packed inside and the most wonderful flavor with every bite!

I teamed up with Kroger to share this family favorite recipe for Cheesy Italian Meatloaf. As always, all opinions are my own.

Every mom needs a good meatloaf recipe up her sleeve because, who doesn’t like meatloaf? My kids absolutely love when I make this and serve it with warm mashed potatoes or comforting macaroni and cheese. Everyone leaves the table full and happy, and nobody would ever know that it’s lightened up. Comfort food can be made healthy! WIN!

HOW TO MAKE CHEESY ITALIAN MEATLOAF RECIPE LIGHTER:

Choose a lean ground beef, bison, turkey or chicken. I recommend bison or beef for the best flavor. I used 90/10 Simple Truth Organic Bison from Kroger.

Cut down on the cheese and use a lower calorie/fat version. My grandma’s original recipe calls for 2 cups of mozzarella. In my opinion, 1 cup is plenty of cheesiness.

Feel free to substitute the egg, in this recipe, with 2 egg whites.

To find a healthier cracker for the crumble, look for a variety lower in fat or even whole grain. Kroger offers a Simple Truth organic wheat snack cracker that would work perfectly.

TIPS FOR AN EASY, PERFECT CHEESY ITALIAN MEATLOAF RECIPE:

Add your ground beef (or other ground meat, or combination thereof) into a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients, except for 1/2 of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella cheese.

Using your hands, gently-yet-thoroughly mix everything together until it is well-combined; don’t over mix, as this will make the meatloaf tough.

Sprinkle over half of the mozzarella down the center of the meatloaf mixture. Fold all of the sides up and shape into a loaf. Then transfer the meatloaf into the prepared loaf pan.

Pour the reserved tomato sauce over the top and use the back of a spoon or cooking brush to spread the sauce evenly over the meatloaf. Bake at 350°F for an 1 hour. Remove from oven and add the reserved mozzarella to the top; bake for another 10-15 mins.

Once cooked, allow the meatloaf to rest for about 10-15 minutes very loosely tented with foil before slicing and serving.

Make ahead option: You can certainly prepare the meatloaf mixture, and even transfer it to the loaf pan, a day ahead of when you plan to bake it. Simply wrap everything with plastic wrap (don’t add the tomato sauce topping yet), and keep it in the fridge. Then, allow it to come to room temp for about an hour or two before baking. At that point, add the tomato sauce topping, then bake.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. and prepare 9x5 loaf pan by lining it with foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except 1/2 of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella.

After ingredients are combined, transfer the meatloaf mixture to a flat surface, covered with parchment or wax paper. Shape the meatloaf into an oval or square and sprinkle most of the mozzarella over the middle of the meatloaf. Save about 1/4 cup of the mozzarella for the topping. Next, roll the meatloaf up and place it in the loaf pan. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to press the meatloaf down so that it is all even at the top. Pour the reserved 1/2 of tomato sauce over the top and spread out evenly.

Bake for 1 hour. Once cooked, remove from oven and sprinkle additional mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for about 10-15 minutes more.

Allow meatloaf to cool for about 10 minutes and then cut loaf into 8 even slices. Enjoy with a side salad or another favorite side dish!

Recipe Notes

* The original recipe calls for ground beef, I used lean ground bison (90/10) and have successfully used lean ground turkey too.

** The original recipe calls for 2 cups mozzarella. I always use lite cheese and I reduced this to 1 cup. Use as much or as little as you would like. You can also opt to not add additional cheese to the top. I just think it makes for more enticing photos. 🙂

*** For almost every ingredient I used high quality Simple Truth Organic products from Kroger and I really do think this will make the best tasting meatloaf!

The last year or so, I have really loved meatloaf. Like, I get excited if it’s on the menu at a restaurant lol. My family doesn’t share my love, BUT I think this recipe could change all that – they LOVE cheese!!!

MMM! I Love meatloaf! It’s one of those classic dishes that can be done very poorly if using the wrong recipe, but if done well, is absolutely fantastic and instantly becomes a favorite recipe! Not to mention this would be ideal for leftovers!! Can’t wait to give it a try!